Harp and harp-action



J. F) 'BUCKWELL. H'ARP m) HARP ACTION; APPLICATION-FILED MAR. 2|. I919.

Patented Mal-{9,1920

JAMES F. BUCKWELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HARP AND HARP-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1920.

Application filed March 21, 1919. Serial No. 284,057.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES F. BooKwELL, a citizen of the United Statesand a resident of the city of New York, county of Kings, and State ofNew York, (whose post-oiiice address is 874 Greene avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y.,) have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harps and ,Harp-Actions, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a harp action which isparticularly adapted to small harps or harps with a solid or bent postso that the proper harmonious and musical notes of the instrument may beobtained without the use of foot pedals and attendant mechanisms whichrun to the neck of the harp. This and other objects are accomplished bymy invention, one embodiment of which is hereinafter more particularlyset forth.

For a more particular description of my invention, reference is to behad to the accompanyin drawings forming a part hereof in whic Figure 1is a side elevation of a harp embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the neck of thesame.

Fig. 3 is a sectional. view showing a part of one action and Fig. 4 isanother sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line 44of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Throughout the various views of the drawings, similar referencecharacters designate similar parts.

My improved harp 1 is provided with a body 2, a pillar 3, a neck 4 andcombs 5 together with strings 6 which run from the neck 4 to the body 2in the conventional manner. In the preferred embodiment of my invention,thirty-one strings are employed and the harp is made on acorrespondingly small scale and without any pedal box or pedestal. v

The novel features of my invention reside in the neck 4 between thecombs 5, as will now appear.

The top of the neck 4 is surmounted by a plate 7 on which are placedseven rockers 8, and each of these rockers has an upright stem 9 and alaterally disposed base 10 whichis slotted and provided with a centralpivot 11 to receive a link 12 which passes through a correspondingopening in the plate 7 and downwardly through an openmg 13 111 the neck4 to a crank 14 to which it is pivotally connected. This link 12 has acollar 15 fixed thereon, and between this collar and the plate 7 andabout the link 12 is mounted a coil spring 16 which normally keeps therocker 8 upon its seat. The crank 14 is fixed to a shaft 17 which hasone end journaled in a suitable screw cup 18 in a comb 5, and its otherend has a conical bearing in the other comb 5, as shown at 19, and thisend has fixed therein, a disk 20 which is providedwith the fingers 21which are adapted to engage the string 6 in the conventional manner sothat when a rocker 8 is shifted one way or the other, it matters notwhich, according to the desire of the musician playing the instrument,the link 12 is elevated against the tension of the spring 16, and thenthe shaft 17 is given an angular movement which is transmitted throughthe disk 20 to the pins 21 which are brought against the string to makethe corresponding change in the note.

In the foregoing has been described the action for a single string, andit will be understood that there are seven rockers for correspondingconnections for seven strings so that the foregoing description providesfor one octavev Provision is made for the corresponding strings of theother octaves in a manner which will now be described.

Each of the shafts 17, which has a crank 14 as above described, also hasa vertical and laterally disposed crank 22 which is pivotally connectedat its lower end 23 and'24 which run to corresponding cranks 22 oncorresponding shafts 17 which are precisely the same as above described,except that they have no cranks 14. These links 23 and 24 may be made ofmetal and one has a larger cross section than the other because one actsin tension and the other in compression. The one acting in tension hasthe smaller cross'section.

From the foregoing it is apparent that when a rocker 8 is shifted, asabove described, all the other rockers for the same string in differentoctaves are correspondingly shifted so that the same result is obtainedas where an action with foot pedals is employed.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of m invention, it isobvious that it is not restricted thereto, but is broad to two linksenough to cover all structures that come Within the scope of the annexedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. A harp composed of a body, a bent post, strings, a neck and meansextended through the neck and above the same for changing the pitch ofthe corresponding strings of each octave.

L. A harp composed of a back, a post, a neck, strings and means extendedthrough the neck and above the same acting through compression andtension for changing the pitch of the strings.

3. A harp composed of a back, a curved post, a neck, strings and meansmounted in the neck and extending t1 rough the same and above the neckfor changing the pitch of the strings.

A harp composed of a back, a post, strings, a neck, rockers on top ofthe neck and means connected with the rockers for changing the pitch ofthe strings.

5. A harp composed of a back, a post, a neck, strings, a plate on top ofthe neck and rockers on the plate together With means connected to therockers for changing the pitch of the strings.

6. A neck for a harp provided with combs, a shaft mounted between thecombs, a crank extended from the shaft, a rocker mounted 011 top of theneck and a link connecting the rocker and crank.

7 In a harp, a neck, a rocker mounted on top of the neck, combs, a shaftconnecting the combs, a crank extending from the shaft, a linkconnecting the crank and rocker and a spring for holding the rocker ontheneck.

8. A harp provided With a neck, a perforated plate mounted on top ofsaid neck, a rocker mounted on said plate, a link connected to saidrocker and extended through said plate, a collar on said link, a springbetween said collar and plate, a crank connected to said link, a shaftfixed to said crank, combs mounted on the neck and be tween which saidshaft is mounted and mechanism for connecting a plurality of shafts sothat all may be actuated simultaneously When the rocker is shifted.

JAMES F. BUCKWELL.

